August 7, 2000, WASHINGTON, DC -- The airplane cabin will
be getting safer for flight attendants and passengers because of an agreement
today between the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Occupational
Safety and Health administration extending OSHA protections to flight attendants.
The new ruling ends a blistering nationwide campaign by members of the
Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, who have fought to extend OSHA
protection to in-cabin airline employees. The extremely high rate of injury to
flight attendants translates into a more dangerous airplane cabin environment
for everyone, including passengers. An AFA review of injury and illness logs at
11 U.S. airlines showed that out of 31,024 flight attendants, 10% reported an
injury that required follow-up medical attention or caused them to lose time
from work in 1998.

That's
more than double the injury rate to miners (4.9%), and more than triple
the national average of 3.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS). With those startling statistics at hand, the FAA and OSHA announced
today they have reached a Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes
"a procedure for coordinating and supporting enforcement of the OSHA Act
with respect to the working conditions of employees on the aircraft in
operation (other than flight crew)."
"We've fought hard to win occupational safety and health protections,"
said Patricia Friend, AFA's International President. "Quite frankly, it's
about time we were extended the protections most American workers have
enjoyed for decades."

In February 2000, AFA raised the intensity of their fight to win occupational
safety and health protections with a campaign called OSHA NOW!, which included
conducting high profile media events, with flight attendant leafleting
and rallying at airports and in front of the FAA, getting petitions signed,
forming a coalition with sympathetic groups, and calling on politicians
to support the fight. "We will be closely monitoring this agreement between the FAA and OSHA
to ensure that actions will follow these words of 'understanding'," said
Friend. "If we don't see a significant improvement in the occupational
safety of flight attendants in the coming year, we will start this fight
all over again."

In 1975, the FAA claimed jurisdiction over the health and safety of
flight attendants and pilots. And while the pilots are medically certified
and their health is closely monitored by the FAA's Office of Aviation
Medicine, occupational safety and health hazards faced by the overwhelmingly
female flight attendant profession have essentially been ignored for the
past 25
years.
"Flight attendants everywhere would like to thank Vice President Al
Gore, Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and Department
of Labor Secretary Alexis Herman for their efforts to make this extension
of safety and health protections a reality," said Friend.

Recently the Inspectors' General Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation
initiated an investigation of the Federal Aviation Administration's failure
to properly protect flight attendants on the job and 81 U.S. Senators and
Congressional Representatives have called upon the Secretaries of Transportation
and Labor to provide the proper protection.